View full sizeVesselTracker/F. ShulteThe 25 crew members of the cargo ship Ariella have been freed after Danish special forces boarded the vessel and re-took it from Somali pirates who had captured it a week earlier.NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- An EU naval spokesman says Danish special forces have recaptured a ship taken over by armed Somali pirates and freed the 25 crew on board. Cmdr. John Harbour says the incident marks the first time a warship has intervened once pirates have boarded a vessel. Harbour says the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged 600-foot cargo ship Ariella sent out a distress signal early Friday. Special forces approached the vessel in inflatable dinghies that launched from a nearby Danish warship. Harbour says the forces scaled the side of the ship and freed the 25 crew, who had locked themselves in a secure room. The forces continue to search the vessel for the pirates. ---Follow siadvance on Twitter